Being in Griffith (part 9)

• Had pretty bad asthma the last 3-4 days. Warm North-Westerly winds have stirred up pollen and dust. Last night it rained slightly and this morning I walked out to the car to discover it covered with muddy raindrop splotches. If this town is bad for Asthma I probably won't want to stay here.
• Saw something silly last night on Austar - one of the adverts had a guy saying that all the technology you see in the film Minority Report is now available. Wow. Rocket packs for cops and the ability to see into the future - all available now.
• It seems that one reason why the Iraq reconstruction went so haywire is because the officials who were sent to Iraq by America were inexperienced party hacks who were loyal to the Republican party and were trying to set up a captialist utopia.
• One reason I don't like Al Mohler is because he supports the use of torture on suspected terrorists. I think this is wrong on two counts: 1) It is immoral and therefore unchristian, and 2) It doesn't work.
• I found out the other day that South Africa's population is shrinking. The CIA world factbook indicates that the birth rate is 18.2 births per 1000 people, and the death rate is 22 deaths per 1000 people (Australia is 12.14 and 7.51 respectively). As a result, the population is shrinking by 0.4% each year. Crime and AIDS seem to be doing the trick.
• At Griffith Presbyterian there is a South African family who have come to live in Australia permanently. Their decision to leave South Africa has meant that their friends in SA - including many Christians - no longer talk to them.
• 8 teaching days to go before the end of term. Woohoo!